Thesis Statements

A thesis statement is a sentence, two sentences, or a number of sentences, which provides a focus for an essay. It will generally be found within the closing lines of the first paragraph of an essay, but it can also occur in the second paragraph or even on a later page. Its primary purpose is to convey the author's purpose and attitude. It is the purpose of the paper.

Strive to be specific when developing your thesis statements. A thesis statement should be NARROW enough to be proved within the confines of whatever length you intend to make your essay. For example, a thesis of a 3-page paper and a 20-page paper are going be different. The 3-pager will have to be much narrower. 

The thesis serves three functions:

• The thesis narrows the topic to a single idea that you want readers to gain from your paper.
  
• The thesis names the topic and asserts something about it, conveying your purpose, your opinion, and your attitude. Make sure your thesis does more than simply state an opinion or generalization; it should introduce elements that offer an explanation of your beliefs.
  
• The thesis often (but not always) provides a concise preview of how you will arrange your ideas in the essay. Thesis and organization can go hand-in-hand from the beginning. You can use your thesis to set up the entire paper

Some Questions For When You Consider Your Thesis

• Does your thesis do more than just provide a fact?
• Does your thesis say something new, innovative, or interesting?
• Where have you located your thesis? Why?
• Is your thesis appropriate to the length of your essay?
• Could you be more explicit or specific?
• Are you using broad generalizations to cover for a lack of knowledge?
• Some of the ideas on this page were adapted from the
  Little, Brown Handbook, Sixth Edition

Whatever you call it, a thesis statement may take any number of forms; it may, in fact, be carried over through an entire paragraph or developed over a number of pages, but you must consider the over-all length of your essay. If you are writing a fifty page paper you might have room to write a three page introduction that conveys a sense of your thesis; however, if you are only writing a three or four page essay it will be very important to keep your introduction concise and well within the first or second paragraph.